My retired friend Bill Mahaney used to be a college professor and administrator in the Boston area.

Those in his circle of friends don't tend to be the sort of folks who just fell off the turnip truck. Yet the extent to which these friends in the Northeast and Southeast do not really understand the West amazes him.

Once, friends from Massachusetts and Florida came to Spokane with a plan of then visiting Yellowstone National Park. They thought it would require just a pleasant morning drive to get to the park.

"Another friend was going to be in San Francisco on business. He suggested we drive down for dinner, stay over, and drive back to Spokane the next day. Another friend going to Seattle to attend a conference suggested we meet for lunch because it would only be a very short drive for us."  

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